Crossed Wires
by LadyNightRunner
Summary: Nobody gets between Iruka and his man. That includes Naruto, well-meaning but unwanted advances from friends, and painfully attractive dripping wet messengers from Suna. Especially them.


Written for the lovely **corybee, **who adored my version of Iruka in Best Birthday Present so much that she wanted to see me play with him some more. Specifically, she wanted to see him jealous and/or/ possessive. The result is what you see here, which took shape in the space of about half an hour at the keyboard and ten minutes reading Alaska magazine. I was powered by toast and grapes. I'm insane. I do, however, present to you my all-time favorite OC of my own making. He's not out to get anyone, I swear. Read on, dear reader, then review and send me gifts.

* * *

The emissary from Suna arrived in the middle of a thunderstorm. Iruka watched him scramble across the street and dive in the double doors of the building. A few minutes later, he wandered into the Mission room, wet and looking a little dazed.

"I _know_ this isn't where I'm supposed to be," he sighed.

"Where are you supposed to be?" Iruka asked politely.

"Hokage's office."

"Wrong building."

"Thought so. Can I stay in here until the rain stops? I hate getting wet."

"Go ahead," Iruka murmured, nodding at the couches lined up against one wall. "I think there are a couple of towels back here, if you like."

"'s okay, I can get it off."

Iruka watched, interested, as the stranger made a couple of hand signs, then made a gesture at himself, as if he were pulling something off. All the water on him oozed to his chest and leaped into his hand. Holding the bubble of water gingerly, the 

man hurried to the nearest window, opened it, and tossed the bubble outside, belatedly peering out to see if there were any innocent bystanders below.

"No one there," he said, relieved. "Thank God."

"Interesting trick."

"Thanks. It's not meant to be used like that, but I _really_ hate being wet when I don't have to be. Don't tell on me."

"Who would I tell?" Iruka chuckled, leaning over the counter. It was a slow day and he had nothing better to do.

"The Kazekage, or someone who might tell him- like that fox-boy…Naruto is his name, right? The one who made friends with Lord Gaara?"

"That's him. You're from Suna, then?"

"Uh-huh. Playing messenger boy. It figures I'd get rained on as soon as I get here."

Iruka spent the next hour chatting with the man, whose name was Ryuu Shendo. He was a good conversationalist and made the time fly. Iruka didn't even realize the storm had eased until Asuma walked in, shaking rain out of his hair.

"Rain finally quit," he muttered, leaning heavily on the counter and shoving a report over to Iruka.

Ryuu snuck out while Iruka was busy with Asuma, giving a friendly wave as he went.

--

Iruka fully expected to never see Ryuu again. Messengers came and went between the villages, rarely appearing twice in a long while.

Ryuu made an appearance two days later, when Iruka and Kakashi were having ramen at Ichiraku.

"Really, I'm going to have to find something more solid to throw if chalk isn't- Kakashi?"

"Mmmm?"

"Are you listening to me?"

"Yes."

It was clear that he wasn't. Iruka followed Kakashi's line of sight out onto the street, where a pair of shapely legs were heading right for the shop. He was ogling someone. Iruka felt momentarily jealous, but stomped hard on the feeling. Kakashi was his and only his. A little ogling was normal in any relationship where one of the two wasn't some kind of controlling sadist.

"Alright, then who was I talking about?"

"Konohamaru, wasn't it?"

"It was."

"It always is."

"Naruto made quite an impression on him," Iruka sighed, relaxing now that Kakashi had made eye contact with him again. "Before he…reformed."

"Before he _what_?"

"Oh, you know what I mean. Before he suddenly grew a sense of empathy and an idea of tact. You _know_ he- Kakashi."

"Yes?"

"You're not listening."

"Yes I am."

"You are not. You're staring at the end of the count-" he stopped short. He recognized that head of pale blonde hair. On a hunch, he slid off his stool and moved down to the end of the counter.

"Ryuu?" he ventured.

The man at the end of the counter looked up, saw him, and grinned.

"Iruka!"

"You're still here?"

"It's taking awhile to get a response, so I'm hanging around until then. Enjoying a night out alone?"

"Actually, no. I'm with a friend," Iruka said, gesturing vaguely over his shoulder at Kakashi. Ryuu half stood on the rungs of the stool to see who he was referring to.

"Can I meet him?"

"Of course." _Not_, he added mentally, but led Ryuu down to Kakashi anyway. He'd been fully aware of Ryuu's looks when they'd met- who wouldn't have been? They were about the same height, with almost the same skin tone- Ryuu's had more gold in it- and had nearly the same build. His hair was pale blonde, long enough to brush the bottom of his shoulder blades. The hitai-ate he'd been wearing around his neck before was on his head, worn like a girl's headband. Instead of the typically modest and functional uniform of before, he had on shorts and a net shirt. Iruka was wearing nothing so flattering. And he was _pierced_. Three times in each ear, and there were silver rings shining under the netting on his chest. And in his tongue. Kakashi _loved_ piercings.

"Kakashi, this is Ryuu Shendo. He's a messenger from Suna. Ryuu, Hatake Kakashi."

They shook hands. Iruka might have imagined it, but it looked like their hands stayed together a bit longer than necessary.

Kakashi invited him to join them for dinner.

--

"Where'd you meet him, anyway?"

"Nnph," Iruka grunted sleepily. "Wha?"

"Ryuu."

"Whaboutim?"

"How did you meet him?"

"Rain."

"_That's_ helpful," Kakashi snorted. He prodded Iruka in the ribs, aiming to tickle him conscious. Iruka responded with a groan and rolled away from him. "What about the rain?"

"Hmmnn. Duzzenlikgettinwet."

"So he came inside when the storm picked up?"

"Nuh-uh."

"When, then?"

"Affer…wuzallwet."

"I'll bet that was a sight."

"Mmh- what?"

"Nothing."

Kakashi settled down and went back to sleep, but Iruka lay beside him, staring at the ceiling, for a long time after.

--

Ryuu made a few more appearances during the next week. All but one was heralded by Kakashi's sudden lapse in attention, and that one exception was only because Ryuu was directly behind him.

Iruka was _not_ amused. Ogling every now and then? Fine. Those horrible books? Okay. But displaying blatant interest in another man? _Not_ okay. He resolved to have a word with Ryuu the next chance he got. No one had any business even _thinking_ about coveting _his_ Kakashi. Sharing is a rule we learn as children that applies to nearly everything except sexy Jonin.

--

The day before Tsunade promised to have a reply ready, Iruka found himself sitting in the grass by the river with Kakashi and Ryuu, with Sakura and Naruto splashing in the river a few minutes downstream from them. Naruto wanted some sensei time, and Sakura had suggested the picnic as a way of including Kakashi, who had, in turn, invited Ryuu.

Some coaxing on Sakura's part- the demon had caught _her_ eye as well- had gotten Ryuu knee-deep in the river and over his head in a splash fight. It had only taken a few minutes for Kakashi to join in- even though he _never _did normally- and focus his attack on Ryuu. Admittedly, he _did_ look good wet, but so did Iruka, but Kakashi was completely ignoring this fact. Peeved, Iruka attacked Kakashi with renewed enthusiasm until, dripping prettily, Ryuu retreated to the bank to be referee.

While they ate, Kakashi's eye hardly ever left Ryuu. Iruka crushed a peach in his hand, imagining Ryuu's face on it.

Now, the kids ran about and yelled while the adults lounged in the sun.

"I could get used to being wet," Ryuu sighed, trailing his toes in the water.

"You'd wind up looking like a raisin," Iruka muttered.

"I could live with that. Better than being dry-roasted, like at home. Maybe."

"Mildew likes the damp."

"Are you two having separate conversations?" Kakashi asked.

Iruka shot him a withering look. Kakashi didn't notice, mostly because Iruka was on his blind side.

"But you can't beat the warmth at home," Ryuu murmured, stretching.

Kakashi didn't even _try_ to hide the way he watched the feline movement.

Iruka cracked his knuckles. That was _it_.

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Ryuu grabbed for his hitai-ate, narrowly ducking the rock Iruka had chucked at his head. "I wanted to show you these."

He folded back the flap of fabric that protected his skin from the bare metal and extracted several worn photos. It was a common place to hide pictures.

"Here." He lay three photos on the grass by Kakashi's feet. "I was telling you about my little brothers, and I totally forgot I had these pictures on me."

"Cute kids," Kakashi murmured, doubling over to examine them. Iruka leaned over him to get a look. Two pictures each featured a single boy, one thirteen and the other around sixteen or so, who bore a striking resemblance to Ryuu. The third picture had both of them hanging off a tall, dark-haired man with a crooked smile who was trying to look at the camera and not drop either boy at the same time. "Who is this? Another relative?"

"Oh, no. That's Akira." Ryuu looked fondly at the picture. "My fiancé."

Kakashi made a strangled sound. Iruka forgot to breathe.

"Your _what_?" he gasped.

"Fiancé," Ryuu said proudly. He offered Iruka his left hand, and the ring on his ring finger. It was a pretty thing, silver, with a tiny black stone set in a wing-shaped setting. "We're getting married this fall."

"_Married_?" Kakashi sputtered.

"Yep. You didn't think I was single, did you?"

"I-"

Ryuu shot Iruka a look over Kakashi's back. Iruka nodded, relaxing instantly. They stood together, grabbed Kakashi, and threw him into the river, Iruka putting 

enough sideways force into his throw to angle the flailing Jonin right into a deep, muddy fishing hole under some willows.

"_Jerk_," Ryuu muttered, picking up his pictures and putting them away. "I've been waiting for the chance to tell him. I am _so_ sorry he got the wrong idea about me."

"You _knew_?" Iruka demanded.

"Of course I did. You had the whole 'grr, this man is _mine_' thing going on all week. I'd have to be blind and straight to not pick up on it. A little hard-headed, isn't he?"

"Unfortunately, yes."

"I recommend a cattle prod. A little one. Carry it around for the next time he gets stupid enough to go staring at someone else."

"I just might. Sorry about that rock."

"It gave me a good reason to go for the pictures. You were going to let me have it, weren't you?"

"I was," Iruka admitted.

"Good for you. Have fun making him regret looking at me, okay?"

"I will. Safe journey back."

"Thanks."

"And congratulations…on the wedding."

Ryuu grinned as he headed into the trees.

"We marry people who don't belong to the village, you know," he chuckled. "Can I look for you?"

"Maybe. Not yet."

"Good luck with that. Later!"

When Kakashi disentangled himself from the willow's trailing branches and exposed roots and squelched back to the bank, Iruka was curled under the nearest tree, smiling serenely while he braided reeds together into something that looked suspiciously like a rope.


End file.
